A practical book for teachers consisting of 10 YC and TYC articles on the importance of integrating rich content-based, teacher-guided instruction with meaningful child-centered play to nurture children's emerging capabilities and skills.

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

Exploring Children's Learning is a must read for students on Childhood Studies and Education Studies programmes. It considers how understanding of the ways in which learning has evolved provides the strategies and focus for promoting children's learning in education today. Each chapter focuses on different aspects of the curriculum, including key areas such as literacy, numeracy and science, as well as general topics such as emotional and behavioural support and creativity within teaching and learning. The book provides a clear background for professionals interested in children's learning to support and enhance a meaningful learning environment for children.

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methodsâ€"to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

"Much of the content in this book is adapted from Teaching Young Children (TYC), NAEYC's award-winning magazine ..."--Page [104]

Exploring Science in Early Childhood makes teaching a basic understanding of science skills to young people more achievable and successful than ever. In using this book to teach future educators, such top universities as Harvard recognize that the activities and applications presented in developmental sequence strongly support children learning. When put into practice, the approaches espoused in this edition will enable children to construct the concepts and skills imperative for learning a basic understanding of science. The same and skills also play an importance role in understanding mathematics and are closely related to reading and reading comprehension skills. Developed in cooperation with teachers at each developmental level, the concepts, skills, and instructional strategies are aligned with national standards in science, principles and standards for mathematics, and early childhood standards.

Exploring Children’s Learning: 3–11 years is essential reading for those passionate about supporting children’s learning environments from Early Years to Key Stage 2. By combining learning with important aspects of a broad curriculum content it will inspire and enhance an interest in supporting children’s learning. Individual chapters focus on key areas of the curriculum such as literacy and history, numeracy and science, as well as more general topics such as creativity, assessment and the emotional and behavioural aspects of learning. The book takes an objective view on control over curriculum and offers practical insights into how supportive learning opportunities can create enjoyable and satisfying lifelong learning habits, preparing children for the challenges they may face in their adult working life. Whether you dip into chapters, or read through the book as a whole, you will develop your understanding of the complexity of learning and the lifelong effects implicit in this, not only from the individual basis that each child faces in terms of learning how to learn, but also concerning the differences in learning strategies required to successfully negotiate subject knowledge across a range of disciplines. This book is a must-read for students of Childhood and Education Studies programmes, those undertaking Initial Teacher Training as well as general readers with an interest in supporting children’s learning.